Rolling mill installation



Nov. 22, 1960 F. PLATZER ROLLING MILL INSTALLATION Filed April 7, 1958 2 Sheets-sheaf. 1

Nov. 22, 1960 F. PLATZER LING MILL INSTALLATION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April '7, 1958 In vim/or: I PQLZQZ er United States Patent ROLLING MILL INSTALLATION Franz Platzer, Max Tendler-Gasse 26, Leoben, Steiermark, Austria Filed Apr. 7, 1958, Ser. No. 726,859 Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 11, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 80-38) The present invention relates broadly to the art of metal rolling.

More particularly, this invention relates to a rolling mill installation of the type set forth in my prior application Serial No. 708,790, filed January 14, 1958, entitled Rolling Mill.

The present invention, which may be considered an improvement of the structure disclosed in the said copending application, relates to a rolling mill of the type equipped with a plurality of working rolls and intermediate rolls revolving about stationary roll supporting means, the mill being characterized by the fact that those elements which, while also revolving about the supporting means, keep the rolls spaced from one another and with parallelaxes, are at the same time constructed to serve as the means for transmitting the driving forces to the rolls, each working roll being supported by two inter-' mediate rolls, each intermediate roll consisting of a plurality of roll sections arranged serially in axial direction, Y and of connecting elements disposed between these sections so as to hold the same at a predetermined spacing from one another. Each of the intermediate roll sections consists of an outer ring and an inner ring, the inner rings being fixed to axles non-rotatably mounted on the roller cages and being provided with peripheral surfaces disposed some concentric with and some .eccentric relative to the central axis of the respective axle.

In" such a rolling mill, each pair of intermediate rolls is swingable as a unit about the axis of the corresponding working roll, as a result of which the intermediate rolls, during their movement about the roll supporting means, 45 are-able to adapt themselves to the form of predetermined guide elements which are arranged on the roll support-' ing means or bodies and cause the peripheral surfaces of the latter to depart from a purely circular configuration. Such a swinging movement of the intermediate rolls, however, always entails a displacement of the same either in or opposite to the direction of the rolling operation, which is a condition readily seen to be inimical to the attainment of a satisfactory supporting of the working rolls and uniform roll pressure transmission. 7 7

It is, therefore, an important object of the present in-' vention to provide means in a rolling mill construction i capable of avoiding this drawback. T 0 this end, according to the invention, the pairs of intermediate rolls are journaled by means of trunnions in circular sector-shaped 50 slide elements which engage in recesses of suitable bear- 1 ing members by means of flanges, collars or like extensions, the bearing members supporting the respective slide elements on suitable bearing surfaces for swinging move- 1 ment'about the axes of the associated working rolls.

-Another highly important object of the present invention is the provision of means, in a rolling mill having the aforesaid structure incorporated therein, for constraining the working rolls to rectilinear movement radially of'the respective roller cages regardless of the swingingfor angular movements executed by the said slide elements and the intermediate rolls supported thereby.

.ing" contact-withthese supporting bodies are arranged,

-. displacement in'the' roller 'c'age s. The slide blocks serve A further object of the present invention is the provision of means cooperating with the roller cages, the bearing members, the slide elements and the various rolls for biasing the working and intermediate rolls into constant engagement with each other and for ensuring constant engagement between the bearing members and the corresponding slide elements. Q

The foregoing and other objects and characteristics of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the rolling mill constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of a Working roll and one of the associated intermediate 1 rolls, the bearing structure therefor being shown insection; and a Fig. 3 is an elevational view taken in the direction of the arrow X in Fig. 2, certain parts being broken away or omitted for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 4 is an end view'showing the assemblage of a pair of intermediate rolls, the corresponding working roll being shown diag'r'am'a'tically; I

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the assemblage of Fig. 4-;" I

Fig. 6 is a partial section taken on line 66 of Fig.3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that the roll-shaped supporting bodies 20 and 21 are disposed one above the other and are nonrotatably mounted in mill stands 32. About and in roll- 'respective1y,' pairs-of intermediate "rolls 25 2 5' i- 26 26' each supporting a respective one of the working; rolls 16 and '17 and disposed at uniform angular intervals from one another, for revolving movement about the supporting bodies 20 and 21in the directions of the arrows '18during performance of a rolling operation by means of the Working rolls 16 and 17. The intermediate rolls are" constructed of sets of alternatingly wider and narf rower, axially serially arranged roll sections each consistj, ing of an inner ring fixed to the non-rotatable roll axle, I and an outer ring rotatably encircling the said innerring, the peripheral surfaces of some of the inner rings beingjj; concentric with their respective axle, and the peripheral surfacesof theremai-ning inner rings'being ecentric with resp'e'c tto' their re'spectiv'axle',: all as seen in Figures 5 and 6" 'anda's fully disclosed in the aforesaid copendin'g application. On the adjacent or facing sides of the supporting bodiesi' 20 and 21 are provided guide elements 23 and 24 which define con-verging surfaces 23' and 24', as well as parallel surfaces 23' "and '24; The peripheral surface ofea ch supporting body thus departs from a purely circular con figuration atbothf's'ides of these guide elements, whereby thes peripheral surraes define both diverging and convergiiig pathsl The'suppo'r'ting bodie s' 2ll" and 21 are surrounded'by I rotatablyand'drivably-journaled roller cages 34 and 351 in which the working rolls are mounted through the inter mediary of slide blocks 111" and 1 12 arranged for'radial as hearing means-for the working rolls '16 and 17 as well as for the intermediate rolls 25 25 and 26-26 (sec Fi 2). Inasmuch as the movements of the slide blocks'are always rectilinearly radial of the ,rollercages, the genome tion of lateral forces tending to produce undesired shifta ing or displacement of the working rollszduring a rolling operation is completely avoided, As seen in Figs. 4, 5 and 6,,the intermediate rolls are mounted on axles 160, which are held in parallel rela s r by a r 1. 5.. a d 5. n new aiqtthee. rollers, and by spacers 1'08' placed between adjacent roller elements 101 and 102. The intermediate rolls each comprise an axle 100 on which are mounted two sets of roller elements 101 and 102 which are eccentric to each other; From Fig. 5 it will. be noted thatin each p r m uncdia c ro ls e rc lc r lcmcntsm of n pr a c y' nc nd; en inEis 5 and ne. e of;

roller elements may, be narrowerthan the, other set of.

. roller elements,

B s. 6 ows. l mcans by hich. he. ent i y f. the roller elements may be accomplished. Roller elementsllll are mounted on a bearing race 105 and bearing elements 103 are provided to make a, low, friction bearing between race, 105 and roller element101, Bearing race 105 is non-rotatably mounted concentrically on axle 100. Roller elements 102. are mounted on bearing races 106 and bearing elements 104 are,provided between raccs106 and roller elements 102. Race element 106 is non-rotatably and eccentrically mountedon axle 100 so that the surface of roller elements 102will support the working roll for free rotation andthesurfaces or roller elements 101 will support the. axles. 100 and therefore roller elements 102 ins'paced relationship tothesupporting bodies20, 23 and 21, 24.

In order to secure a constant engagement 'betweemthe. working rolls and the respective pairs of intermediate rolls, as well as, between the latter and, the supporting bodies, pressure means are provided. between each slide block and the respective roller cage. As shownin Fig-.3 with. respect; to.blocks 111 andc'age 34, such'pressure means advantageously may comprise a plurality of'compression springs 113.

For the purpose of facilitating rolling of the intermediate rolls 2525 and 26-26 over the acircularly contoured surfaces of the guide elements 23 and. 24, each pair of intermediate rolls, considered as a unit, is journaled for swinging movement about theaxis of. the associated working roll. To this end, the terminal sections or end plates 11 4 and 1-15 of the intermediate roll pairs, which interconnect their. axles with one another;

substantially as set forthinthe above-mentionedcopending application, are provided with trunnions or like, ex tens1ons,1'1 4' and 115' which are, journaled in circular sector-shaped slideclements 116 and 117, respectively. The lattcr,'being seated on arcuate bearing surfaces which are concentric with the axesof the-associated working rolls and formed-in bearing members:- or bodies 118 and 119, can thus move angularly about the axes of the associated' working rolls. The slide elements 116 and 117 are provided-with flanges or collars116' and117 which extend into andride in arcuateguide.recesses providedat the facingsides of the lrqearing bodies 118 and 11 9 (see Figs. 2 and '3), whereby axial displacement of, the inter mediate rolls is inhibited. The bearing bodies are kept in en gagementv with the slide elements by meansof compression springs 120 and 121. i

From the foregoing it-willbe understood that a con-, struction according to the present invention,- will sub.

n ia l im n t y p s b y: f: nde i edateral.

4 ing rolls during contact thereof with the rolling stock is assured at all times.

Various changes in and modifications of the structure and structural arrangements disclosed hereinabove may, of course, be made without'departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and it is intended that such changes and modifications be embraced in the appended claims.

Having thus particularly described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rolling mill equipped with a pair of stationary roll supporting bodies, annular and drivable roller cages mounted for rotation about said supporting bodies, respectively, a plurality of axially parallel working rolls mounted in each roller cage for revolving movement therewith about the respective supporting body, a plurality of pairs of axially parallel intermediate rolls mounted in each roller cage for revolving movement therewith about and in rolling contact with the respective supporting body, each of said. intermediate roll pairs.

supporting on the side thereof remote from the. associated supporting body a respective one of said working rolls, each intermediate roll comprising. a plurality of axially serially arrangedroll. sections and a plurality of connecting elements located, respectively, between said roll; sections to maintain the same at a predetermined. spacing relative'to one another, each of said roll sections. comprising a non-rotatable inner ringand. an outer ring rotatably encircling the same, the peripheral surfaces. of" some of said inner rings of each intermediate rolL being concentric with their common axis, and, the pe-. ripheral surfaces of the remaining inner. rings. of each.

intermediate roll being eccentric with respect to. their.

common axis; the improvement comprising a; plurality. of slide blocks carried by each of said roller cages for rectilinear radial displacement thereon, said working rolls being journalcd in said slide blocks, pressure means. interposed between said slide blocks and said roller cages and biasing said slide blocks in a direction tending: to. maintain constant rolling contact between said workingrolls and the corresponding pairs of intermediaterolls,

' a bearing member mounted in each ofsaid slide blocks and each said bearing member being provided with. an. arcuate bearing surface and an arcuate; guide recess, a plurality of circular sector-shaped slide elements carried, respectively, by said bearing members, on. said bearing surfaces thereof and each provided, with, aflange: en, gaging in the corresponding guide, recess, each ofjsaidintermediate roll pairs being provided at, each of its opposite ends with atrunnion journaled' in theassociated. slide element, and springmeans interposed between said bearing members and said slide blocks. and biasing said. bearing mernbers to press saidqinter'mediate. roll pairsagainst said working rolls, whereby s'aidslide-elements;

and said intermediate rollpairs are mounted for angular movement about the respective, axes of the associated working rolls.

2.- In-a rolling mill equipped with a pair ofstationary roll supporting bodies, a plurality of. axially parallel working rolls mounted for revolving movement. about saidsupporting bodies, respectively, a plurality ofintermediate rolls mounted in pairs and in axially parallel relationship for revolvingmovementaboutand inrolling contact with said supporting bodies, respectively,- each of said intermediate roll pairs supporting onthe; side.

thereof remote from the associated supporting; body a respectiveone ofisaid working rolls, each. intermediate roll comprising two sets of alternating, mutuallyeccentric, axially serially arranged roll sections and .a-plurality of connecting elements located, respectively, between adjacent ones of'said roll sectionsto-maintain the same;- at' predeterminedspacings relative to one another; the improvement comprising a plurality of slideblocks carried.

G by each of said roller cages for rectilinear radial diseach of its opposite ends with a trunnion journaled in placement thereon, said working rolls being journaled in the associated slide element, whereby said vslide elements said slide blocks, a bearing member mounted on each said and said intermediate roll pairs are mounted for angular slide block each said bearing member being provided with movement about the respective axes of the associated an arcuate bearing surface and an arcuate guide recess, 5 working rolls.

a plurality of sector-shaped slide elements each carried by a respective one of said bearing members on said References Cited in the file of this patent bearing surface thereof and each provided with an extension engaging in the corresponding guide recess, and UNITED STATES PATENTS each of said intermediate roll pairs being provided at 10 2,709,934 Platzer June 7, 1955 

